As the Demon King, I have married a slave elf. How should I express my love?

Sagan looked down at his own "mark".

"You mean, the 'something' that was dismembered by the Holy Sword is hidden within this 'mark'?"

"Hehehe, actually your wording could be more specific."

Bivron raised his left arm.

"I believe that the remains of a demon god are sealed within the Mark of the Demon King."

Sagan clenched his right fist.

Actually, he had this premonition much earlier.

Why do demons obey the Demon King's Mark? Where does this immense magical power come from? And why do the Marks resonate with each other?

—The Mark of the Demon King is the seal of the Demon God.

It's possible that the thirteen "Demon Kings" were originally just magicians responsible for guarding the seal. Although, to this day, they have all become ugly monsters in people's eyes.

Sagan turned his gaze toward Shestie and Raphael.

—And were those holy swords the ones who made contributions in the sealing war?

At least that's what Bifron thinks.

If that's the case, then is the Holy Sword no longer as powerful as it was back then? Or is there some unknown way to use it?

But—as Bivron said:

"The problem is, if the Holy Sword defeats the Demon God, where will the battlefield be? Perhaps in a secret realm like the Northern Holy Land, or perhaps in the location of the Church headquarters, which is the Holy City. The war is unlikely to be decided in one battle, so there could be several locations."

Sagan squinted.

"Hey, could it be...?"

"Hehehe, it seems you've finally figured it out."

Bifron spread his arms wide in a serious manner and said:

"That's right, this Sforongide is one of the battlefields of the demon gods."

Sagan then realized—

The right hand mark, which had sealed its power during the previous fight with Bivron, began to burn restlessly again.

So, this "mark" wasn't reacting with the bifurion, but with the lake?

The same goes for Bifron; the Mark regained its original magical light.

Then Sagan remembered—

Bivron just said that playing against Sagan was just "entertainment."

So what is his real purpose?

Could it be those self-aggrandizing individuals from earlier?

Bifron shouted at Sagan, who looked on in astonishment.

"Come on! Let's see what happens when two Demon Lord Marks gather on the Demon Lord's battlefield!"

The light of the Demon King's Mark shone even brighter.

This time, even Sagan couldn't stop it.

Then, the lake reflecting the moon turned into a color like the depths of hell.

Book 3, Chapter 4: Trying to Dance on a Night Full of Stars

Nephtros learned of the girl's existence several months ago.

Her master, Biffron, showed her the image of the girl in the distance through the crystal.

Nephtros had been by Bivron's side since she was old enough to understand things. She never thought about what race she was or where she came from.

However, she considered it an honor to serve the Demon King. Knowing that the Demon King needed her brought her immense joy.

A girl from the same tribe who looked exactly like her caught her attention.

But the girl was dressed in tattered clothes and shackled, and her situation was like that of a slave.

Seeing a girl who looked just like her suffering so much filled her with heartache.

All she could think about was getting her out.

—Will she serve Lord Bivron just like me?

If that's the case, she hopes to rescue her herself, without relying on anyone else, because she possesses the power directly passed down from the Demon King.

Then, as a senior, he taught her various things.

That was what she originally thought.

Who knows—

"Look, Nephtros, this is the perfect noble elf I've been searching for all these years. Now my research into divine magic can finally move to the next stage."

Nephtros didn't understand the meaning of that sentence for a moment.

If she is indeed the noble spirit her master has been searching for...

—And what about me...?

What am I, who serves the Demon King with utmost loyalty?

Jealousy quietly began to burn in my heart.

Nephrodite's kindness and sympathy for the young girl eventually turned into a burning jealousy.

Whether we should be thankful or not, the girl ultimately did not join Bivron's ranks.

The girl's village was attacked by humans, and she has gone missing.

Although it was a pity that she didn't get to see her fate, Nephtros still felt extremely satisfied.

Bifron tried to find the girl, but seemed to encounter obstacles from other "Demon Lords" and was unable to find her whereabouts.

Therefore, he naturally had no choice but to cherish Nephroth, rather than the unattainable girl.

I thought that the days that had once caused such a stir had finally returned to calm.

—Who knew she was still alive.

Moreover, the girl was picked up by other "Demon Kings," and her former ragged appearance was no longer visible; she looked radiant with happiness.

Upon seeing her, Bivron said with heartfelt regret:

"What a pity. Although he's still a newcomer, the risk of taking something from someone who's also a 'Demon King' is far too high."

The owner, who is usually hard to understand, actually felt regret from the bottom of his heart.

As long as the girl lives, her master's envy will never cease. Nephroth will never be the first in her master's heart.

She cannot forgive the girl.

Therefore, when Bivron allowed her to approach the girl, she was so happy she almost danced with joy.

Biffron did not forbid her from being violent towards the girl.

So as long as she isn't killed, the master shouldn't have any objections to whatever he does.

—If you beat her to a pulp, the master will lose interest in the girl.

I must use this opportunity to make my master understand that what is indispensable to him is not that girl, but myself.

However, Nephtros did not win.

Although she held back due to space limitations, she was not only defeated but also utterly humiliated, realizing that this was the power her master longed for.

Nephtros was on the verge of losing to the girl when her master gave her another task.

"I've come up with an interesting performance. You'll show them your skills then."

For Nephtros, there was no room for failure.

◇

Centered around the Demon King's Mark of Sagan and Bifron, "something" swept in.

A dark, gloomy world.

That vortex of invisible magic was unmatched, even by the Chimera, the synthetic demonic creature left behind by Magasiia, or by the demons summoned by Barbaros.

The substance overflowed from the bottom of the lake and adhered to the hull of the boat.

"Hahahaha! This is truly eye-opening! Judging solely from magical power, this is probably more than the combined magical power of the thirteen Demon Lords, right? Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"

Bifron laughed maniacally, prompting Sagan to roar in fury:

"Bifron, have you gone mad?! Are you planning to awaken the demon god?!"

Sagan's roar was met with a sneer from Bifflong.

"How could that be! This level is nothing compared to a demon god. It's just a bit of dregs, a remnant of longing, awakened only because it reacted with the 'Demon King's Mark'."

Even scum possesses such power.

Did this kind of monster really ever exist?

This is truly a godlike existence.

It is a power from a completely different dimension that humanity can never reach, no matter how hard it tries to master magic.

Soon, the magic vortex gradually gained mass and materialized.

Sagan witnessed the scene and couldn't help but utter a sound of disgust.

"What exactly is that...?"

That's 'mud'.

Unlike a statue, it doesn't have a clear appearance, nor does it reveal any human-like self. This ugly filth even makes one think that malice, once condensed into something visible, might become like this.

—However, it is too large.

It was already a powerful magical block. And even as the 'mud' grew to the size of being able to cover the entire ship, it continued to expand.

However, since it has mass, it means that it is affected by gravity.